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Did You Know?

Trivia:

Charles Nelson Reilly, who was a regular on the show, said one time, he was driving his convertible and the script for that weeks show flew out of the car. Reilly said he wasn't worried because they way the show was done, the script didn't really matter.See more »

One Take Dino is what the man was known as. I'm surprised it took him
so long to find his proper niche as host and lead performer of one of
the last and most popular variety shows ever. If Dean Martin wanted it
and was still with us today, he'd probably still have that variety show
which morphed into the roasts. He was that popular.

Martin was legendary for doing everything in one take and whether he
missed the lines on the cue cards, he just kept on going and grinning.
It was part of the charm of the show. But Dean wanted to get out on the
links for some golf or a little serious imbibing. What was important in
life.

The Dean Martin Show was one of the last television variety shows and
one of the best. That format is gone now, performing nowadays just
doesn't lend itself to that kind of format and that's a pity. The only
time you really see it is on those telethons that Jerry Lewis, Dean's
erstwhile partner is the master of. Lewis had a variety show also, but
it never got the popularity of Dino's.

The best talent in the world appeared on that show. Where else could
you have a variety show that would first feature Orson Welles doing a
speech from Falstaff and then a trio number with Dean Martin and James
Stewart? Those are priceless moments.

Back in the day Dean's equivalent would be Bing Crosby's Kraft Music
Hall on radio. Bing had the first hour long variety show when Kraft
Music Hall debuted in 1936. Stars from film and the legitimate stage as
well as musical performers all vied to appear on Kraft. Like Dino on
television, Bing was so relaxed and informal he put them all at ease
and they performed some really silly skits quite charmingly.

On the liner notes to one of his albums Bing said of Dean Martin that
while he had the reputation of being a relaxed and natural performer,
this lasagna lover from Steubenville made him look like a Prussian
drillmaster. Truer words were never written and with such affection.

When the variety show morphed into the roasts I remember the critics
were savage in their condemnation. The humor was juvenile, puerile, in
bad taste and terribly politically incorrect. Yet the best in show
business continued to appear on them. Today DVDs and VHSs of them are
big sellers.

I do miss variety shows like we had back when I was a lad. But we'd
have to have people like Dean Martin to host them and perform. They're
not common things we find now.

But if you want it to happen, keep those cards and letters coming in.
Somewhere Dean Martin will appreciate it.

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